Cigarette remover



Nov. 7, 1933. o. STEVENSON CIGARETTE REMOVER Filed Dec. 28, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l a. a {E R S mm w No. N E R V 0 Nm N v E A S O s a m 0 L 1933- L. o. STEVENSON 1,933,770

CIGARETTE REMOVER Filed Dec. 28, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ll INVENTOR.

Lomas O. Sfiavenson. B

M ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT or FicE Application December 28, 1 .931 Serial No. 583,437

2 ()llaims.

This invention relates primarily to a package for cigarettes or the like and more particularly to means for removing the cigarettes therefrom in a simple and emcient manner and without opening but a small portion of the package.

In the usual method employed in packing cigarettes, a compound wrapper composed of a sheet of paper and a sheet of foil is employed which is wrapped around the cigarettes with the paper in contact therewith, the ends of said composite wrapper folded over in four folds, a printed label then placed thereon which covers all but the upper folds, and the label and upper folds sealed together by the revenue stamp, and the entire package thus formed encased in an outer moisture proof wrapper of cellophane.

The universal manner in opening such a package, is to first remove the cellophane wrapper or tear off a small portion of the upper corner, so that a like amount of the compound wrapper may be removed, to expose the first two or three cigarettes, but as the cellophane is tough and hard to tear as is also the folded corner comprising several thicknesses of paper and foil it is hard to open the corner of the packagewithout crushing or destroying the entire package, and also destroying the moisture qualities of the package.

To overcome these and other faults, I have devised a novel package so constructed that the upper corner of the outer cellophane wrapper may be easily removed or opened and still be again closed after the removal of a cigarette, and also a device whereby one of the upper folded corners is removed from the package, and then the first cigarettes are raised upward from the pack to be readily grasped by the fingers, and further that after the cigarettes are removed from the corner, the remaining cigarettes in the pack are moved over taking their place under the opening in the pack and may be removed in like manner.

To accomplish this I have constructed a package in which is placed a cigarette operating strip of suitable material such as heavy paper and extends under all of the cigarettes and up both sides of the pack in such a manner that one end may be used to raise a few cigarettes and the other end used to move the remaining cigarettes from one side to the other of the pack, all of which will be fully described and claimed hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which like figures of reference refer to corre= spending parts in all of the views, and it is un- (lCl. 206-56) derstood that slight changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a package of cigarettes embodying my invention, and showing the same in a sealed condition as offered for sale.

Figure 2 shows the same with one of the upper corners of the moisture proof cellophane wrapper opened and the end of the cigarette operating strip released ready to pull.

Figure 3 shows the same after the operating strip has been pulled to turn back one of the folded tabs of the composite wrapper.

Figure 4 shows the same after said tab and a part of the front and back tabs have been removed to expose the upper ends of several of the cigarettes in the corner of the pack.

Figure 5 shows a portion of the composite wrapper, illustrating the portion which has been weakened by the lines or perforations.

Figure 6 shows a front elevation in section of the package, showing the normal position of the operating strip.

Figure 7 shows the same with the operating strip in a position to raise the corner cigarettes for removal.

Figure 8 shows the same with'the operating strip in position to move the remaining cigarettes in the pack.

Figure 9 shows a sectional view of the package after the upper corner has been removed as in Figure l.

Figure 1c shows an enlarged view of the step portion of the operating strip.

Figure 11 shows a partial plan view of said strip.

Referring to the drawings:

The usual package of cigarettes is indicated which is composed of the cigarettes 10 which are wrapped in the composite wrapper consisting of the inner paper sheet 11 and the outer foil'sheet 12, both of which are folded upon the ends of the pack in four folds or tabs, one end tab 13 being first folded down, then the two front and back tabs 1% and 15, while the remaining end tab 16v is then folded down upon the two front and back tabs 14 and 15, all of which are retained in place by the revenue stamp 17 which is secured to the upper sides of the outer label 18 which is in the form of a pouch having a bottom, front, back and sides, but no top; and upon all of this is placed the outer moisture proof wrapper 19 of cellophane which is closed on the topand seamed its - tom.

The top end of the cellophane wrapper 19 is formed with a rib 20 by pressing or embossing the same in the sheet of cellophane before it is folded into the wrapper, or during the process of such folding or wrapping, and the weakened lines 21 are also formed therein at the same time, and connecting weakened lines 21 and by tearing off the rib 20 the flaps 22 may be opened as shown in Figure 2.

Within the package when the same is made up is placed an operating strip 23 formed of paper or other suitable material slightly narrower than the inside of the package, and formed with a finger piece 24 having folded tapered sides 25 and separated from a portion 26 by a weakened line 27 which is also separated from a portion 28 by a weakened line 29, which is separated from a second finger piece 30 by the weakened line 31; the remainder of said strip 23 having a series of scored lines 32.

The strip 23 is also formed with a step 33 which is made by folding said strip back upon itself and gluing or otherwise securing said fold together, the upper bend 34 being slightly in from the lower bend 35 in such a manner that when an upward pull is exerted on the part 36 the step 33 will be supported and not bend downward and below said step 33 are placed one or more folds 37 and from the lower fold 37 the strip is carried under all of the cigarettes 10; the score lines 32 being adjacent the corner 38 and the upper corner 39 in such a manner that as the end 40 is pulled upward through the opening, the cigarettes 10 will be forced over as shown in Figure 8, the above detail construction being shown in Figure 10.

When the package is made up, the part 40 of said strip is folded down upon the tops of the cigarettes under the folded-tabs 13, 14, 15 and 16, while the end strip piece 26 is folded within the tab 16; the piece 28 under said tab 16, while the finger part 24 is folded down upon the outside of the package under, the cellophane wrapper, as shown in Figure 1.

The operating strip 23 may be secured in place within the package by gluing the same as at 41 to the bottom of the package.

In the operation of the device, the cellophane rib 20 is torn off and the fiaps 22 opened along the weakened lines 21 and turned back as shown in Figure 2; the finger piece 24 is then removed from in under the cellophane 19, and is pulled outward bringing with it the folded tab 16; the folded tab 16 is then grasped by the fingers and the parts of the folded tabs 14 and 15 removed along the weakened lines 42 which are in the paper sheet 11 only and not in the foil sheet 12.

when this is removed taking with it the parts 24, 26 and 28, the part 30 will remain folded down upon the tops of the cigarettes.

This finger piece 30 is then lifted out by the finger and pulled upward and with it the cigarettes that are resting upon the step 33, the folds 37 allowing it to come up while the part 41 is still secured to the bottom, thus raising the cigarettes where they can be grasped by the fingers.

After a cigarette has thus been removed, the remaining cigarettes upon the step are pushed down carrying the step and strip with them, and the finger piece 30 is then tucked under the fiaps, 14 and 15 closing the opening and retaining the moisture in the package.

After those cigarettes that are upon the step 33 have been removed, the end 40 of the strip is pulled upward and this action will move the remaining cigarettes over as indicated in Figure 8, bringing them under the opening in the pack where they may be readily removed as desired.

It is also to be understood that the strip 23 with its several bends, ribs, etc., will tend to retain the package in shape and prevent the crushing in of the sides and will thus protect the cigarettes therein contained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cigarette remover for packs comprising in combination with a package having a folded top, of a strip of material formed with weakened portions, a rigid step formed in said strip, folds formed in said strip below said .step, said strip of material contained within said package with said step in contact with the lower ends of a fewicigarettes, the main portion of said strip extending under the remaining cigarettes and the ends thereof folded within the folded end of said package and adapted by the removal of one end of said strip to remove a portion of said folded end to provide an opening for the removal of the cigarettes, and means for raising said step and the cigarettes thereon.

2. A cigarette remover comprising in combination with a package having a folded upper end with one side fold uppermost, of a strip of material mounted within said package under and around the cigarettes with one end folded upon the top of the cigarettes under the folded end of the package, the other end of said strip folded within the upper side fold of said package in such a manner that said fold may be removed from said package with a portion of said strip, a rigid step formed in said strip below the cigarettes and adapted to raise a cigarette by an upward pull upon said strip, and means for moving the remaining cigarettes within the package by the" upward movement of the other end of said strip.

LQMAS 0. STEVENSON. 

